yenn's studio

chapter three: mother and child

2006-04-15T19:49:00.000+08:00

Bartolome Esteban Murillo
Virgin and Child, 1675-80
Oil on canvas (1.66 x 1.09m)

i remembered as a child, i was more attached to my mum than dad, she took care of me till i was 2 years old, when she gave birth to my sister. grandma looked after me then, and she's probably one of the most influential people in my early years. i remembered how she would carry me down the bed every morning, and how i would cry when i opened my eyes and did not see her face.

grandma speaks only hokkien, somehow, i picked up hokkien dialect along the years when she was around. she was the only person in the family who communicates with me in hokkien. sad to say, i lost this language when she passed away some years later.

1997

grandma was still lying on her mattress one morning when i was awake. she called me. she wanted a cup of kopi and hun gee (cigarette). she just kept lying there.

soon, dad came back and carried grandma on his back to his pick-up. i stood at the door, crying. somehow, i knew grandma would not come back anymore.

to many people, hokkien sounds crude and rude. however, it is a beautiful lanuguage to me even though i can only understand but not speak well today. it may not have great impact on me now, but it is probably the only connection that brings back memories of grandma.

chapter two: a child is born

2006-04-15T19:32:00.000+08:00

Lennart Nilsson
A Child is Born, 2004

1980

first baby in the family.

21 february

the kampong was excited about this new life.

3:54am

grandma was hoping for a baby boy to carry on the family line.

chapter one: creation of life

2006-04-15T18:29:00.000+08:00

Michelangelo
The Creation of Adam, 1508-12
Detail of fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

"... earthbound Adam and figure of god rushing through the sky. this relationship becomes more meaningful as Adam strains toward his creator and also toward Eve..."

i do not know much about adam and eve, but i am sure all mankind needs a companion. a friend once said, i wonder if adam was put on earth by god to suffer a lonely and boring existence, until eve came along.

dad and mum fell in love and got married when they were barely 20 years old. if sigmund freud's notion of instinctual needs is true, then that probably explains how a man and a woman get together, and created life. love is the basis for creation of life.

art is a lesson about life...

2006-04-15T17:49:00.000+08:00

the previous work that i posted was actually meant for my life story.

that was an assignment to explore my personal and social development from birth, and so i chose to write a story, and i called it "windows"...

i'm not good at writing, but i believe what comes from my heart is good enough to touch other people's hearts.

anyway decided to share a little about this story "windows", will break it into different chapters in my posts so it's easier to read.

if colours could speak... ...

2006-04-15T15:15:00.000+08:00

"Windows"
Cover Design
Photgraphy

the windows represent many facets of my life, from the day i was born, to who i am today. each and every window holds a colour of life, depicting my different moments and life stages.

orange my innocent and cheerful childhood. life was simple, but i believe i am a happy child.

green a window that represents my character and personality. i believe i am unique.

red this colour represents my passion and how i treat life.

purple romance and love. a window that captures my fantasies and dreams.

yellow this is my colour of loyalty. it represents my kinship and my race.

blue my depressing and upset moments. at times, i get really emotional and sentimental.

dark red when things get out of control, and when i feel angry and frustrated with life.

still, there are other windows, waiting for colours and experiences to be filled... ...

爸爸:"记得回家吃饭..."

2006-04-08T23:11:00.000+08:00

爸爸的脸
Oil on canvas
40 x 50 cm

little souls

2006-04-01T20:58:00.000+08:00

Little Souls
Paint on cloth (600 x 150cm)

this is a wonderful creation by me and 18 lovely kids...

we created this work with mischief, music, dance, and lots of household utensils and gardening tools!

jackson pollock once said," on the floor i'm more at ease. i feel nearer, more a part of the painting. since this way i can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting..."

and yes, we created this piece or work on the floor by spreading the piece of white cloth on the floor, nothing is planned ahead, but i think this is a painting that speaks louder than words.

art ought to be spontaneous right? and i guess sometimes it requires a little mystery, a little vagueness, a little fantasy...

"body" language

2006-03-28T01:05:00.000+08:00

Figures

Chinese ink

this series of drawings is an attempt to put actions and movements on paper in the least possible time, say 10s... it is created with chinese ink, speed, and maybe a little guts.

it's not difficult, but the challenge is you do not know how the work will turn out, because most of the time, you were busy looking at movements than what you're drawing.

it doesn't matter if the final product looks good, it's the process that matters...

玻璃真的是透明的吗 ?

2006-03-25T22:28:00.000+08:00

this work is supposed to reflect myself. the lecturer wanted us to use one material to create something that best tells our character. i guess what we like reflects who we are. so i chose glass, it used to be my favourite building material.

clear, plain, transparent, and i see through it because it is easy to understand.

well don't really like this material as much as i used to (or rather i chose not to).

don't want to be someone who is cold to the touch, fragile, and breaks easily.

if trees speak...

2006-03-25T15:50:00.000+08:00

Nature Speaks
Acrylic (74 x 104 cm)

was asked to sketch what i see in a still-life drawing class, starts to scribble away on my sketch book and of course, my trees don't look like how they should look like... never mind...

anyway, went back and edited the pictures a little, painted them with acrylic, a little thoughts, and lots of patience. forgot how long it took me to finish painting this piece, but it is certainly one of the works i like best.

i wonder if trees speak, what would i hear? do they have feelings like us too?

searching...

2006-03-25T14:17:00.000+08:00

as a child, i loved the freedom of running around, discovering and creating things, shaping and re-shaping my imagination and fantasies. life was very simple, and all i had was a carefree attitude.

as i grow older, the world in me becomes smaller and smaller. things i can do and things i want to do are confined to limitations of time, rules, my environment and people around me. there are boundaries surrounding my personal space.

i know i need to break through. and to me, the process of creating allows me to explore freely, and pull me away from narrow boundaries, once again.

this studio speaks my hundred languages...

my studio

2006-03-25T14:04:00.000+08:00

welcome to yenn's studio...